


Ends of the Earth (Pilot!Bucky x reader)

by avengerofyourheart



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flight Attendants, Avengers AU, F/M, pilot AU, pilot bucky barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-18
Updated: 2018-06-18
Packaged: 2019-05-24 20:51:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14961965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/avengerofyourheart/pseuds/avengerofyourheart
Summary: Characters: Bucky, reader, Natasha, Steve, Wanda, Pietro, Tony (some only mentioned)Summary: Spending your days in the friendly skies was a dream come true for you. Traveling and seeing the world was all that you could ever wanted. Except...could the missing piece in your life be right in front of your eyes? A helpful nudge from a friend just might lead you to the man of your dreams. (Avenger AU)Warnings: Bit of angst. Mostly fluff. Mentions of death and the slightest insinuations to sexy times. ;)Word Count : 4.2kSong Inspiration: Ends of the Earth by Lord Huron





	Ends of the Earth (Pilot!Bucky x reader)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, lovelies!! This one-shot is for @bionic-buckyb‘s 8k Angst Challenge on tumblr. I’ve had this story in mind ever since my trip to Europe in April! Five flights in two weeks gave me ideas. ;) I really hope you enjoy this fic and PLEASE leave feedback or comments. I love to hear from you! I know I haven’t posted in a while, but I’m working on a lot of new stuff. I adore you guys!

How many months? How many days? How many hours spent in close quarters together in a large metal tube that was hurling across the globe, and yet you still hadn’t noticed the signs? Luckily, you had your best friend and co-worker who was willing to knock some sense into you. Although, it could have been a little more gentle.

“You’re both idiots,” Natasha said at a whisper as you both continued to greet passengers as they boarded. You didn’t know how she could lovingly insult you and simultaneously smile sweetly with a congenial “hello” to every passenger.

“What?” you whispered back in confusion. “All I said was I’m glad to see our pair of happy captains. I’ve missed all of you, what’s wrong with that?”

You heard her quietly huff out a sigh with an eye roll sent directly towards you. “I’ll tell you in the galley later. Excuse me while I explain for the millionth time that the suitcase has to go in the overhead compartment wheels FIRST,” she seethed while maintaining her perma-smile. You loved Natasha, but she was a little scary sometimes.

Shaking off her comment, you greeted the last passenger and checked in with personnel at the airport gate for any stragglers. According to them, the plane was now full, so you secured the door and went about your usual duties. Once all suitcases were stowed away and passengers were buckled in their seats, you pulled out all of the props for the safety demonstration. It could get tedious to perform the same little show for each flight multiple times a day, but after your month-long break, you now realized you had missed it.

Working for Stark Airlines had been your dream ever since the billionaire playboy philanthropist, Tony Stark, decided to join the friendly skies and create his own airline. Stark was the best of the best, with the fastest state-of-the-art planes, personal viewing stations for each passenger, in-flight meals that were actually edible, and exemplary staff, of which you were grateful to be a member.

You had been a flight attendant for Stark Air about 6 months when you suddenly had a family emergency that needed your immediate attention. Mr. Stark was more than generous in giving you a leave of absence for as long as you needed. That last month with your grandmother was the most precious time you could have ever spent and you would be forever grateful to have those memories.

Today was your first day back on the job. As you dressed this morning in your pencil skirt, blazer, and white button-up before tying your red and gold scarf, you felt that rush of adrenaline at the thought of flying over an entire ocean in a day. It never ceased to amaze you. Pinning your wings to the lapel of your white shirt, you felt a small wave of bittersweet memories wash over you.

Your grandmother had been flight attendant back in the 1960s when the job title was “stewardess” and Pan American Airways was airline royalty. While growing up, she had told you countless stories about her travels and it filled you with unquenchable wanderlust. Your grandmother encouraged you to spread your wings, so to speak, and see the world. She had some of her best times while working for Pan Am and even met your grandfather on her travels.

A few years ago, right before you started work at a different airline, your grandmother had called you into her bedroom and dug around in her jewelry box to produce her wings pin. Placing it in the palm of your hand, she closed your fingers around it and placed hers on top, wishing you all the joy and wisdom that flying had given her.

Your previous airline was meticulous about uniforms, so you carried the Pan Am pin in your pocket and wore company regulation wings on your lapel, but during orientation for Stark Air, the boss had seen you wearing the Pan Am pin and asked you about it. Mr. Stark didn’t seem to be criticizing, only curious, so you shared the story of the pin and a surprisingly soft smile graced his features.

He stepped back, holding your gaze a moment through tinted glasses. “What was your name again?”

“Y/N, Mr. Stark,” you replied.

“Y/N,” he repeated. “You go ahead and wear those wings, uniform be damned. If anyone gives you trouble, send them to me,” Mr. Stark spoke gentler than you would expect, then giving you a wink. “Welcome to Stark Air.”

You beamed at him, grateful that you had taken the risk by applying to Stark Air. It had felt like such a long shot, given the small number of open positions, but now it all seemed as if it was guided by your grandmother’s hand.

“Thank you, Mr. Stark,” you said gratefully.

A booming male voice filled the cabin then, bringing you back to the present. The comfort and familiarity of the voice made you smile as you walked down the aisle with props in hand.

“Good morning and welcome aboard Stark Airlines. I am Captain James Barnes and sitting next to me is Captain Steve Rogers, we’re going to make sure you arrive safely in Paris, France. The estimated flight time is 6 hours and 23 minutes, departing from New York City within the next 20 minutes. Please make sure all carry-on items are in the overhead compartment or stowed underneath the seat in front of you. Please turn off all electronics until we have reached altitude. It looks like clear skies and smooth flying, so settle in and thank you for choosing Stark Airlines. I’ll be honest, my French is a bit lacking, so I’ll turn the translation over to Natasha, one of our excellent flight attendants. This is Captain Barnes, signing off.”

That grin of yours only seemed to grow with every word of his speech. Captain Barnes, or more casually known as Bucky when not on the job, had been with Stark Air for over a year when you joined on. He and Captain Rogers, Steve, had gone through Air Force training together and were best friends even before that. They were two of the many wonderful pilots hired by Stark and might just be your favorite pair in the cockpit. Although, hearing the constant, friendly bickering between Bucky and Captain Sam Wilson was especially entertaining.

You and Natasha worked together often, which was a blessing, and on this particular flight to Paris, you also had the twins working with you. Wanda and Pietro Maximoff were a funny pair, often sniping at each other off-hours, but managed to be completely professional while on the job together. The different dynamics between everyone was interesting to say the least, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

“ _Mesdames, Messieurs, bonjour et bienvenue à bord. Merci d'avoir choisi Stark Airlines. Pour votre sécurité, vos bagages doivent être rangés dans le coffre à bagages, ou être glissés sous le siège devant vous. L'usage d'appareils électroniques est interdit pendant le décollage, et votre ceinture de sécurité doit être attachée. Nous arriverons à Paris, France en environ 6 heures et 23 minutes. Nous vous souhaitons un excellent vol et merci encore d'avoir choisi Stark Airlines_.”

Natasha’s flawless French translation concluded and she switched to English for the safety demo. She seemed to be fluent in more languages than you could count, to your amazement. You used your props to demonstrate in the front of the plane and Wanda did the same halfway down the aisle so everyone could see. Not all passengers were paying attention, however, despite requests to listen carefully. It seemed that half of them already had headphones in their ears

Natasha repeated the entire speech in French as well, so you did all your choreographed motions with the props once again before walking up the aisle and stowing them away. After last minute checks to secure any loose items, you strapped yourself in your jump seat next to Natasha as you readied for takeoff.

“Care to elaborate about my supposed idiocy?” you asked in a loud whisper over the roaring engines.

“You and Barnes,” Nat said matter-of-factly.

Brow furrowed in confusion, you leaned in closer. “What? We’re not—I mean there’s nothing—“

She just lovingly rolled her eyes again. “I’ll have you know that your ‘happy captain’ was a lot less chipper over the past month. Care to guess why?”

“Um…”

Uncrossing her legs, Nat shifted in her buckled seat to face you. “Oh, come on, Y/N. You honestly haven’t noticed him flirting with you?”

“I, uh…I mean, he’s kind of a flirty guy. He seemed to act that way around all of the girls when we went out after work,” you replied, now looking back and trying to distinguish any change in his behavior toward you.

Nat scoffed at that. “Well, yeah, he’s a sweet guy so he’s nice to everyone. I think he tries not to be overly attentive toward you because he doesn’t know how it would be received. You haven’t really given any signs that you like him, have you?” she asked rhetorically with an arched eyebrow.

You chewed on your lip a moment. “What makes you think I like Buck—um, Captain Barnes?”

“Because I know you,” she leaned in, finally offering a friendly smile and you returned it. You knew she only wanted the best for you. “Trust me, give him a little nudge and he’ll ask you out, I guarantee it,” she said with a wink.

Settling back against your seat, she had given you a lot to think about. You were now painfully aware that the very subject of your conversation was on the other side of the thin wall, in the cockpit. Feeling the familiar whoosh in your stomach as the plane took off smoothly, your thoughts tumbled over the possibility of having such a conversation with the handsome Captain Barnes. What if Natasha was wrong? She rarely was, but there was a first time for everything.

As the plane leveled off and reached altitude, you unbuckled your seatbelt and Natasha did the same, now preparing the drink carts. Pushing thoughts of Bucky out of your mind temporarily, you opened the drink cabinet and got to work.

Two hours later, drinks were finally given to every passenger who wanted one and now there was a short lull before dinner service began. Pouring yourself a cup of coffee, you took a sip of the much-needed beverage and it gave you an idea. You walked the few feet toward the cockpit door and picked up the phone right next to it, dialing a specific set of numbers.

“Rogers speaking,” a serious male voice answered.

“Hi, Captain Rogers, it’s Y/N. Nothing urgent, just wondered if either of you could use a cup of coffee?” you asked, suddenly nervous.

“Oh, hi, Y/N!” Captain Rogers’ voice perked up and you could practically hear his bright, toothy smile through the phone. “Sure, we’d love some.”

“Perfect. Give me five minutes and I’ll knock,” you replied before hanging up.

Setting down your own coffee, you reached down into a small cabinet where there were tall paper cups and snap-on lids for staff only. You poured the freshly-brewed beverages into each cup, leaving room for any cream or sweeteners. Grabbing a small tray, you placed the coffee and additional items on it before balancing with one hand and knocking with the other. The door swung open and a brilliant pair of grey-blue eyes met yours, your heart taking off at a gallop.

“Y/N,” Bucky greeted with a wide, beaming smile. “Come on in,” he offered, stepping aside for you to enter before closing the door behind you.

“Hi,” you finally replied, regaining control of yourself. “I thought you both could use a little pick-me-up,” you spoke up, offering the tray to Bucky.

“Thank you,” he accepted, choosing one of the cups while running a hand through his medium-length chestnut locks. Bucky then took the other coffee and placed it in a cup holder near Steve’s elbow. He must have taken the stick so Bucky could answer the door.

“Much appreciated, Y/N,” the blond captain replied, briefly shooting a glance and a smile your way. “Did you happen to get some—

“Creamers?” you finished in anticipation. “Yes, I did. Heavy cream for you, Captain Rogers. And…almond milk, right, Captain Barnes?” you picked up the creamer from the tray and held it out to the brunet.

Bucky paused a short moment, wide smile upon his handsome face as he met your eye. “Um…yeah. Yes, thank you,” he uttered, his fingers brushing yours as he accepted it.

You held his gaze a moment longer before you lost your nerve and focused elsewhere. Taking a step forward, you bent down to peer through the plane’s windshield to see an endless horizon of soft, fluffy clouds and bright blue sky. The sight took your breath away, even after all these years. 

“Wow,” you breathed out softly.

“Not a bad view, huh?” Steve smiled beside you as he briefly turned on autopilot to stir some cream into his coffee.

“Not bad at all,” you agreed with a grin. “I hardly even take the time to look out a window anymore. Kind of sad, isn’t it? A little time away does give some perspective, though.”

“I bet,” Bucky shared from behind you, causing you to straighten up and turn his way. “We’ve missed having you around. Also, I uh…just wanted to say how sorry I am about your grandma. I know she meant a lot to you,” he offered earnestly.

Smiling sadly, you lightly touched the wings on your lapel before responding. “Thank you. I’ve missed you, too. All of you,” you quickly added the last part, feeling flushed. Talk about a slip of the tongue. “Well, I better get back to it,” you said regretfully, heading for the door.

Bucky followed and opened it for you once again. “Alright. Thanks again for the coffee,” he said with a light touch on your arm.

“Any time,” you replied as he closed the door, trying to recover from how even the smallest of touches affected your erratic heart. Taking a shuddering breath, you finally stepped away and returned to your duties.

It was a smooth flight, just as predicted. Dinner was passed with only a few passengers mentioning their sudden food allergies they hadn’t added to the survey when booking the flight. It was easily smoothed over, though, and most people kept to themselves. Event the few kids onboard were little angels. It was more the grownups who decided to take care of personal hygiene habits in public, much to everyone’s chagrin. No one needs to clip their fingernails that badly at that very moment.

Strapped into your jump seat once again, for the landing this time, you suddenly felt nervous. Not because of the landing, you had full confidence in both pilots. The nerves were most likely attributed to the decision you had come to over the past few hours: it was time to work up the courage and give Bucky a little push.

Just as predicted, the wheels touched down softly and soon the pilot was taxiing the plane toward the gate. Steve gave the announcement this time, welcoming our passengers to Paris and warning them about shifting baggage in the overhead bins. Natasha translated once again and in no time, the seatbelt light was off and passengers were flooding the aisles. You never understood why even those in the window seat immediately stood up. It would be a good five minutes before you could open the door, so they weren’t going anywhere. Just a need to move around, perhaps.

Once the door opened, passengers quickly disembarked and you said goodbye to everyone. You always had a soft spot for those who took the time to thank you and the other staff. Being a flight attendant was a rough job at times, but you loved it. You helped with a quick search of the plane for any lost items that could be left at the gate desk before gathering your own small luggage and shoulder bag.

Natasha had left the plane as soon as possible to visit the ladies room and Wanda followed shortly after. Using an airplane bathroom was a very last resort, as you had seen what passengers often do inside them. Ick. Entering the terminal, you waved goodbye to the girl at the desk and headed for the closest ladies room as well. Swiftly doing your business, you stepped up to the sink to wash your hands and then took in your reflection.

Tucking away a few fly-away hairs, you straightened your blazer and it was then that you noticed. Your wings pin.

“Oh no,” you exclaimed quietly. It was no longer pinned to your lapel.

In a panic, you searched every inch of your uniform, opening your blazer and shaking it out before turning your pockets inside out. It must have fallen off either on the plane or on your walk from the gate. Slipping on your jacket, Natasha emerged from the toilet then to see your alarmed expression.

“Y/N, what’s wrong?”

“My wings. My grandmother’s wing’s they’re gone,” you uttered with a sob.

“Okay. Okay, we’ll find them, just give me a minute…” she began calmly.

“No! The cleaning crew! If it’s on the plane, they’ll suck it up with the vacuum and I’ll never see it again! I have to go,” you spoke quickly before leaving the ladies room at record speed.

Tracing your steps back toward the gate, you kept your head down and even ducked into a large crowd just to make sure it was exactly the line you had followed before. You cast your search wider as well, wondering if the pin had been kicked or knocked over to the side by accident. Finding nothing, you reached the gate and pleaded with the girl to let you back on the plane before the cleaning staff arrived. She luckily relented and you ran through the accordion walkway and onto the plane.

Crawling on hands and knees, you started from the back of the plane and worked your way up. You knew how gross that floor was, but this called for desperate times. As you reached the front row of seats you felt a desperate fear grip your chest while tears streamed down your face. Standing up from the floor, you thought of where else it could be when it dawned on you. The cockpit. It was always locked during a flight, except during your coffee offering, but luckily it was ajar just then for the cleaning crew.

Stepping inside, you ducked down in between the seats to search and muttered to yourself. “Where is it? I haven’t lost it. I haven’t.”

“I think that means you have,” you heard a voice speak from behind you. “By chance, it wasn’t this that you were looking for?”

Whirling around quickly, you saw Captain Barnes before you, holding in one hand…your wings. Gasping loudly, you plucked the pin from his hands and launched yourself at Bucky, wrapping your arms around his neck. He froze a moment in surprise, but then reciprocated with two warm hands upon your back. Seeing a few tears fall on his uniform jacket, happy ones this time, you finally let go with a warm face.

“You found it,” you smiled through watery tears while hugging the wings to your chest. “Thank you so much, Bucky. You don’t know what this means to me.”

“I think I do. And you’re welcome, Y/N. They were just on the outside of the door, so I picked them up and went in search of you but when I found Natasha, she said you were headed back here. We must have just missed each other. I’m glad it all worked out,” he spoke softly with another touch of your arm.

Taking a deep breath of relief, you felt a light hand at the small of your waist as Bucky followed you off the plane and back into the terminal. You retrieved your rolling suitcase from the kind woman at the desk and headed toward ground transportation. None of your co-workers were in the taxi line, so they must have headed into the city already. You and Bucky waited a few minutes and shared a taxi for the 25 minute ride from the airport to your hotel.

After international flights, Mr. Stark gave the staff a day to recover before flying back on a return flight. A full day in Paris? Yet another perk of the job. On the ride, Bucky asked about your family and you filled him in on the happenings of your hometown. He shared the same, telling stories about his family as well as antics you had missed from work. It felt like no time had passed before you arrived at the hotel and Bucky opened your door for you.

Checking in at the front desk, you just gave your name and a key card was provided for you. This particular hotel was owned by Mr. Tony Stark himself so he kept a few rooms available for the staff. Bucky’s room was one floor above yours so you rode the elevator together and said goodbyes as you reached your floor. Just as the door was about to close, you felt a jolt of courage flow through you. Sticking out your arm to stop the elevator, Bucky looked up in surprise.

“Bucky?” you began, thinking about what Nat had said on the plane. But when the time came, you found that you had more in you than a nudge. “Would you like to have coffee with me?”

The handsome man’s face beamed with a bright smile at the offer. “I’d love to. Meet you in the lobby in…10 minutes?”

“Okay,” you replied, goofy smile upon your own face.

Releasing the elevator door, you waved goodbye and nearly skipped to your room, hoping you had packed an outfit worthy of a Paris coffee date.

_________________

_One Year Later_

“I love you,” you cooed in between kisses.

“Mmm, I love you,” he said in reply, deepening the kiss.

“Okay, you’re both going to make us all sick and we haven’t even taken off yet,” Natasha said in a mockingly disgusted tone. According to her, public displays of affection make people very uncomfortable.

You and Bucky both chuckled and pulled away a few inches, reluctantly. Your joined hands rested on the middle armrest of your First Class seats. You were tempted to remove that barrier between you, but there was a chance you wouldn’t be able to control yourselves.

Natasha’s voice sounded through the cabin then. “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome aboard. I know, it’s tragic having to leave the paradise of Hawaii, but we’re headed to New York City, one of the greatest cities in the world. We hope you enjoy your time with us and thank you for choosing Stark Airlines. On a more personal note, we have two of our very own Stark Air members on this flight. Captain James Barnes and Y/N (Y/L/N) are flying with us today and it looks like congratulations are order: they’re engaged! Congratulations to the happy couple.”

Just as she had announced your engagement, two flutes of champagne arrived for you and Bucky. After Nat finished speaking, your seat mates began to congratulate the two of you and the smiles on both of your faces alone could have lit up the cabin. You’d never been so happy, as Bucky lifted your hand to press his lips to your knuckles just below your shiny new ring. When he had dropped to one knee on a sandy Kauai beach at sunset, your surprise had quickly bubbled into utter excitement and love. Life with Bucky was everything you hoped it would be and more.

However, a small flicker of worry passed over your features suddenly and Bucky caught your change in demeanor. “What’s wrong, my love?”

Trying to articulate your thoughts, you waited a moment to speak. “Do you think we can do this?”

“Oh, definitely. Natasha even said she’d guard the bathroom door for us once we reach altitude. One more bucket list item to check off,” he replied with a wink.

The thought made you giggle, not entirely sure if he was serious or not but you weren’t opposed to the idea. “Not that…I mean, not ONLY that. Do you think we can truly settle down when our lives are literally up in the air all the time?” you spoke, concerned.

Bucky just gave a soft smile and squeezed your hand. “Of course we can, darling. And if we decide we want to literally settle down somewhere, then I’m all for it. But in the meantime, I would follow to you to the ends of the earth. I love you so much and I can’t wait to spend my life with you.”

Feeling grateful tears gather, all your worries faded away. “I love you, too, Bucky. To the ends of the earth,” you echoed, sealing the promise with a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading this little fic of mine!! So?? What do you think of the idea of Pilot!Bucky?? That’s a pretty good visual, right? ;) I’d definitely follow him around the world. *swoon* I adored Paris and I’d go back in a second, given the chance. And WITH Bucky? Yeah, I’d die. Also I'm probably a little inaccurate about what a pilot or flight attendant does on duty so please forgive me for that. Please let me know your thoughts!! I love to hear from you and it’s been so long! I love all of you and appreciate your patience during my little break. Thank you. There’s a lot more coming! Soon!! <3


End file.
